The next day, Noah attended Maria's crucial battle with her usual demeanor.
Left-Hand Knight, a true regular in the official matches, though he had never earned a single-character title, he was a steady presence who consistently made it into the official matches.
Many called Left-Hand Knight the backbone of the Tournament Knights (Arena Knights), or the true gatekeeper of the official matches, the master of staying in the league, and so on.
These were not exactly flattering titles, but no one could deny the high value of Left-Hand Knight's caliber.
When Black Knight was rampant, Left-Hand was a main match contestant; when Shining Knight ascended, Left-Hand was also a main match contestant; when Blood Knight surged against the current, he was still a main match contestant.
Having never missed an official match, he should naturally possess his own pride.
Time would prove everything; Left-Hand Knight would eventually receive the honors he deserved.
"Shining Knight again—there's only one Shining Knight.
You've only won until now by luck, and now, your good luck has run out."
In a pre-match interview, Left-Hand Knight commented disdainfully.
He had truly faced the might of Shining Knight, felt her absolute strength that dominated the entire match.
In his opinion, perhaps only the invincible Black Knight could compare with Shining Knight, and even Blood Knight felt slightly inferior to Shining Knight.
And now, Maria Nearl, who was being promoted as if Shining Knight had returned, was perhaps nothing more than a clown in his eyes.
"I will guard the glory of the official matches.
The weak are not allowed to enter the domain of the strong."
Left-Hand Knight glared at the camera, a long spear on his shoulder, like a general going into battle.
"I will make the clown realize the disparity in strength."
Left-Hand Knight's pre-match trash talk segment was always good, heating up the atmosphere before the match.
He truly understood the competition.
However, this pre-match trash talk was also a mass production line for the Knight's Arena Bible, and many of the required pre-match trash talks became boomerangs, hitting the speakers themselves black and blue.
But the one saying this was Left-Hand Knight—and this was a match to decide who would enter the official competition.
Left-Hand had no reason not to give his all.
When the microphone was handed to Maria, who was still preparing, she seemed to be preoccupied and didn't react immediately when asked about her impression of The Left-Hand Knight.
Maria scratched her head, revealing an awkward smile.
"...Uh, to be honest, he felt very tightly wrapped, and probably quite hot?"
"...I mean your evaluation of The Left-Hand Knight—it's okay to be sharp."
"A little sharp...Ah, I understand, I need to say some impressive things, right? I saw what Sister Margaret said before the match.
Let me think..." Maria clapped her hand to her head, remembering that this was the trash talk segment before the match.
So, after much thought, she put on a serious expression.
"...I will protect everything of Nearl Family! Although I don't know if Sister Margaret can see this interview, while you are away, I will definitely work hard to become the true Nearl Family Family Knight!"
"That...your evaluation of The Left-Hand Knight..."
"Ah, ah, ah? This... well, actually, I'm not very familiar with him..." Maria thought for a long time.
Although she had watched many combat recordings of The Left-Hand Knight, to be honest, other than his fighting style on the field, she didn't have much of an impression of The Left-Hand Knight himself.
"I didn't pay attention before, and later I only watched combat recordings.
If I remember correctly, when Sister Margaret fought him, he surrendered very quickly, so they didn't fight for long..."
"Understood—"
The interview was clearly a failure, but the reporter knew how to write it.
Xia Guang Knight Maria Nearl publicly announced that The Left-Hand Knight left no impression on her!
Maria Nearl mocked The Left-Hand Knight as Shining Knight's defeated opponent!
The arrogance of the new generation Knight!
The Left-Hand Knight who surrendered is not qualified to be compared with her!
With various editing techniques, Maria Nearl's interview segment was thus transformed into blatant mockery—
Even Noah, who knew Maria's true situation, somewhat admired these authors' ability to take things out of context.
Maria would absolutely not mock The Left-Hand Knight like that; it was probably a normal answer that was then edited and pieced together like this.
With some filters added, it looked even more sinister.
This was already a common tactic of these reporters, and Noah was used to it.
She arrived at Maria's preparation room first.
Kuro carried a large black briefcase and placed it in front of Maria, who looked at it with confusion.
"Although it's a bit rushed, your previous weapon was damaged, right—so I made you a new set.
It was made with the help of a craftsman I know.
I originally ordered it when Rust Copper was still around, but I didn't expect it to be finished until now.
You can try it during your match." Noah had Kuro open the briefcase; inside were a sword and shield crafted to the specifications of Maria's original weapon, but with many strange mechanical structures added.
With Maria's craftsmanship level, she could clearly see that there were definitely some special transformation mechanisms hidden within.
"I originally planned for you to familiarize yourself with it first, but there isn't much time left.
You can read the instruction manual first." Noah also handed the manual to Maria.
"At least I've used the best materials.
It's perfectly fine to use it as a simple sword and shield."
"This...how much did it cost?" Maria asked, looking a bit uneasily at the golden sword and shield in the briefcase.
"It looks so expensive..."
"Because he's a familiar craftsman, and our family often custom-ordered weapons from him before, it didn't cost much." Noah shook her head.
"If you're interested, I can take you to see him next time.
He's the most incredible craftsman I've ever met."
"Wow—" Maria looked at the clearly specially designed sword and shield, and the rather thick instruction manual, immediately sensing the new weapon's extraordinary nature.
"It feels like it will take some time to study before I can properly use it."
"Well..." Noah's gaze was a bit evasive.
When she first met that Craftsman Cat, he specifically asked what kind of weapon was needed.
When Noah mentioned a sword and shield, and preferably with a charging effect, his eyes lit up, and he immediately declared that he understood.
The final product was so outlandish that even Noah found it a bit absurd, but the Craftsman Cat's skill was undeniable.
The compound bow Noah used previously was also made by him, boasting extremely high craftsmanship.
"Does it have a name?"
"...Uh, it's called the Dragon Heat Engine · Xia Guang Charge Axe."
"...Axe?"
Noah's answer left Maria utterly confused, as no matter how she looked at it, the weapon appeared to be just a sword and a shield.
"You...you'll know when you try it."
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